GreenMan Theatre's "Cash on Delivery!' provides comedic relief

In GreenMan Theatre Troupe's production of "Cash on Delivery!" a British con man pulls a fast one on local welfare authorities for years by inventing people who live at his address and accepting all government benefits that are due to these creations. Then the con man figures to "kill off" some of his "lodgers" because things seem a bit too risky.

That might work, except welfare authorities come by to investigate some of these imagined individuals, causing con man Eric Swan to recruit help from one of his real lodgers and from his uncle. Hilarity abounds as Eric tries to stay one step ahead of the investigators and his wife, who has a feeling that he is a transvestite.

This farce by Michael Cooney will run for three weekends at 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays, April 17 to May 3, in Asbury Hall at First United Methodist Church, 232 S. York Road, Elmhurst. Tickets are $17 for adults, $15 for seniors and students, and may be reserved online at greenmantheatre.org or by calling (630) 464-2646.

GreenMan Theatre Artistic Director David Soria said the show will have audiences laughing out loud.

"I think what makes this comedy special is the blend of physical comedy and verbal humor. There are plenty of jokes, but also a lot of sight gags, misunderstandings, characters that get locked in rooms, mistaken for another character, etc. The play keeps barreling ahead, and you think, 'How is this ever going to get resolved?'" he said. "But Cooney finds a way to solve all the characters' problems by the end."

"I would invite anyone who wants to have an evening filled with laughter to come to GreenMan and see 'Cash on Delivery!'" Soria said. "It is a wild ride, and you'll leave the theater with a smile on your face."

The play follows a comedic style that audiences have enjoyed in the past, Soria added.

"The author is the son of Ray Cooney, who wrote many popular and familiar farces, like 'Run for Your Wife.' Many people think of Ray as the 'master of farce,' and his son Michael is writing in that same tradition of wild, breakneck speed, no-holds-barred farce," Soria said. "If you like farces such as 'Noises Off!' or Ray Cooney's plays, you will really enjoy this one, too."